Ammunition-hoist for ordnance.



No. 709,436. Patented Sept. I6, 1902 A. T. DAWSON & .1. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HUIST FOB OBDNANCE.

(Application filed Jan. 10, 1902.)

5 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No ModeL.)

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AMMUNITION HOIST FOR OBDNANGE.

(Application filed Jail. 10, 19022) I (No Model.) 5 $heets -Sheet 2.

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20th Ewan in H fizz/671%; wifiwjikwo No. 709,436.. Patented Sept. 16,I902.

A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE.

. AMMUNITION HDIST FOB ORDNANGE.

(Application filed Jan. 10, 1902.)

{No Model.) 5 Sheets-Shunt 3,

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No. 709,436. Patented Sept. l6, |902.

' A. T. DAWSON & .1. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOIST FOR ORDNANCE.

(Application filed ml. 10, 1902.

(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 4.

1 l l I w i VIII/Ill Patented Sept. I6, 1902 A. T. nAwscm & J. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOIST FOR ORDNANGE.

(Application filed Jan. 10, 1902.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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wafize s sggj UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, OF VVES'IMINSTER, LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OFBARROiV-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS SONS 85 MAXIM,LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

AMMUNITION-HOIST YFOR ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 709,436, dated September16, 1902.

Original application filed August 19 1901, Serial To all whom it mayconcern: I Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, late'lieutenant ofRoyal Navy, re-

- siding at 32 Victoria street, \Vestminster, in

invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ammunition-Hoists forOrdnance, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to hoisting apparatus for supplying powder chargesand projectiles to the platforms or turn-tables of turret or similar gunmountings, and is designed to afford the means for raising such chargesand projectiles safely and rapidly to the platform, and is particularlyadvantageous for maintaining a continuous supply to a pair of guns in aturret or barbctte mounting.

According to our invention we provide apparatus whereby the projectileand powder charge are simultaneously raised to a position between a pairof guns in the same cage or carrier, which travels up suitableguide-rails in a trunk or tube attached to the under side of theturn-table or platform. l/Vc prefer to have four cages-i. e., two foreach gun. The trunk has a partition-plate whereby it is divided into twocompartments, forming a duplex hoist. The cages or carriers and thechains or ropes whereby they are supported are arranged to move so thatwhen one cage is at its highest position the other is ready for loadingat the bottom of the trunk.

The powder charge is carried in the cage or carrier beneath theprojectile in a tray, which swings on trunions and is automaticallytilted when the cage reaches its highest position, allowing the chargeto roll out laterally along an incline to a position on one side of thegun, whence it may be lifted out by hand and conveyed to the breech ofthe gun.

The projectiles are carried on the top of the cage or carrier in asloping position and retainedby a spring-bolt until the cage reaches itshighest position, when the said spring-bolt is released automaticallyand the projectile No. 72,629. Divided and this application filedJanuary 10. 1902. Serial No. 89,247. (No model.) I

and provided with hoisting apparatus whereby a projectile and. twohalf-charges can be simultaneously raised inthe same cage or carrier.Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a section on theline 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation, on a larger scale,of the upper part of the hoist shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectionalelevation, also on a larger scale, of'the upper part of the hoist shownin Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 5.

In all the figures like letters of reference in dicate similar parts.

A A are the guns. B is the rotary platform or turn-table upon which thesaid guns are mounted. C is the vertical trunk or frame attached to thesaid platform or turntable so as to revolve therewith, and E E are thecages, by means of which the powder charges and projectiles are conveyedfrom the bottom of the said trunk or frame to the gun-platform. v intheir upward and downward movements along two separate sets ofguide-rails e and e". with the guide-rails which are of the well- Thesecages or carriers travel Switches are employed in connection knownconstruction and not shown on the they each carry two half powdercharges constructed in the example illustrated that and a projectile,the-latter being located at the upper part of the cage and. the powdercharges beneath it. The powder charges are carried in a tray 2, which isadapted to swing iaterally on trunnions c for the purpose of dischargingthe powder charges into the lateral chutes (1 leading to the trays d. Inorder to effect the tilting movement of these swinging trays, they areprovided with arms 9 which are adapted to strike againstfixedprojections of stops al on the chutes d as the said carriers E reachtheir uppermost position. The powder charges thus escape from theswinging trays and pass along the inclined chutes 01* into the trays dwhence they are taken by hand andconveyed in any suitable manner to thebreech of the guns. The top portion 05 each of the cages or carriers E-is recessed and inclined to receive the projectile, which is maintainedin position by a spring-bolt 6 adapted to be automatically released bycomingagainst a fixed stop a as the said cage or carrier reaches itsupperinost position. The projectile then slides or is pushedlongitudinally down an inclined trough G, Figs. 1, 3, and 5, intoaposition at suitable crane or otherwise.

the rear of the guns and level with the gunplatforin. From this positionthe projectiles can be lifted to the breech ofvthe guns by a Theprojectiles are loaded into the cages or carriers E from inclined traysK K, situated near the bottom of the trunk G, and the powder charges areloaded into thee-ages or carriers from inclined trays H H, also situatednear the bottom of thetrunk C. p The powder charges are placed in thesaid trays H by hand, and the projectiles are placed in their trays K byan overhead trolley which runs upon a transporting-rail I, as is wellunderstood.

The aforesaid hoist-motor F may be driven electrically or otherwise, andit is preferably provided with a hand-winch J for enabling it to beworked by hand should occasion arise. What we desireto claim and secureby Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In ammunition-hoists forordnance, the

combination with the gun-mounting and the trunk leading from themagazineto the mounting, oi. a' pair of ammunition cages or carriers for eachgun, ot' rails within the trunk for said cages to travel along, of meanswhereby each cage carries both the projecti'le'and the powder charge,of-means for supplying the projectile and powder charge to the cage andofmeans for automatically and simultane ously releasing said projectileand powder charge from the cage when it reaches its uppermost positionso that the projectile is discharged from the cage ldngitudinally andthe powder charge is discharged transversely, substantially asdescribed.

2. In ammunition-hoists for ordnance, the combination with a cage orcarrier provided with an upper inclined surface to receive theprojectile, of a swinging tray for receiving the powder charge orcharges, of a spring- 'bolt for normally retaining the projectile inplace on the cage, of an arm on said swinging tray, of means foractuating said springbolt and said arm for liberating the projectile andpowder charge when the cage reaches its uppermost position, otinclinedchutes into I which the powder charges enter transversely by the tiltingmovement of the swinging tray and of inclined troughs into which theprojectiles slide longitudinally when released from the cagesubstantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In ammunition-hoists for. ordnance, the combination with thegun-mounting and the trunk leading from the magazine to the mounting, ofa pair of ammunition cages or carriers for each gun, ofi rails withinthe trunk for said cages to travel along, said rails affording aseparate path for the cages d uring their upward and downward travel, ofpower hoisting apparatus for. actuating said cages, of a hand-winch forenabling the cages to be actuated in the event of the power hoistingapparatus becoming inoperative, of trays near the bottom of the trunkfor supplying the projectiles and powder charges to the cages, ofinclined chutes near the top of the trunk for receiving and conveyingthe powder charges to trays provided for their reception,

and of inclined troughs near the top of the trunk for receiving theprojectiles and conveying them to the rear of the guns and level withthe gun-platform, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. JAMES HORNE.

Witnesses to the signature of Arthur Trevor Dawson:

HENRY KING, 7 WALTER W. SHARPE.

Witnesses to the signature of James Horne:

RB. D. BRADSHAW,

EDWARD MUIR YOUNG.

